Council to consider fleet manager position

January 26, 2013

After a week off for the Martin Luther King holiday, the Cape Coral City Council will convene its city council meeting Monday at City Hall with a lot of items for it to vote on.

On the agenda will be a resolution to create the position of fleet manager, who will be responsible for supervising, managing and maintaining the city's fleet of vehicles, as well as the usage of fuel by the fleet.

The city created the guidelines for the position this week, with the expected salary being between $59,904 and $98,862 per year, with up to $5,000 in relocation costs.

The main qualification is at least eight years in a related field with supervisory experience of a similar-sized fleet, which is the equivalent of a staff of 20, a fleet of 800 vehicles and a $2.5 million annual budget.

The position will be paid for with funds accrued by eliminating the fuel management coordinator position, a task which will be handled by the fleet manager, and by salary savings associated with vacancies to close, according to a memo from Steve Neff, public works director.

Mayor John Sullivan said that while he doesn't like to throw money around, it's something the city needs.

"We need somebody in there that knows what he's doing. We need somebody in the position and we're going to have to pay up," Sullivan said. "If we didn't we'd be penny wise and pound foolish."

Also on the agenda is a selection of topics to be discussed when the city council meets with the Board of County Commissioners sometime in late March or early April.

In a memo from Terri Hall, legislative coordinator, some of the possible topics include the Ceitus Boatlift, the North Spreader, the extension of Del Prado Boulevard to I-75, the interlocal toll agreement, animal control, the 20/20 conservation land use and the relationship between the city and Lee County.

Sullivan thinks this could turn into more than one meeting. And the hope is that, with three new board members, things can finally get ironed out.

"The new members may be inclined to look at the municipalities from a different standpoint," Sullivan said. "If we can negotiate these things, they'll come around to our way of thinking."

Council also will put to a vote the amending of land use classifications to mixed use on seven properties near Northwest 40th Lane, west of Burnt Store Road.

The purpose of the land use changes is to lead the way toward a proposed luxury RV resort on Burnt Store Road.

It also will vote on two appeals relating to a controversial convenience store and gas station on Cape Coral Parkway.

The appeal is of the decisions by the Board of Zoning Adjustment and Appeals to approve a special exception and variances requested by Creighton Commercial Development to construct and operate a gas station on 801-809 Cape Coral Parkway.

Approval of the appeals would reverse the previous decisions of the board.